Think this will help?

[GAHSUMPIRE]

[urlhttp://www.ajc.com/sports/nfl-passes-new-pad-1443581.html][/url]

NFL is now requiring thigh and knee pads.

Since so many at the younger levels take their cues from Sunday, you think this might help make players actually wear the required equipment?

[HLinNC]

Probably not.  I don't see any problems with HS kids not wearing the pads.  I do see an increasing problem with "pant creep" at our level.  Now if the NCAA would actually enforce the pants covering the knee rule, that might help out more than the NFL making players wear the pad.

One other thought- while I don't know how much actual protection a knee pad offers the knee, doesn't the pad offer some minimal cushion for a knee striking the helmet?

[Atlanta Blue]

As I said in the NCAA forum, this isn't going to happen unless the owners committee can convince the NFLPA that it's a good idea, and there isn't a huge chance of that happening.

There are FAR too many NFL players that don't wear thigh or knee pads now to make this major change.  The ship sailed.  Rich McKay saying that the owners can implement this without player approval is a pipe dream, a PR ploy.

And until the NFL mandates that players use the best helmets (which 80% currently do NOT do), anything like requiring thigh pads is putting lipstick on a pig.  The number of injuries that come from not wearing thigh or knee pads is next to zero.  But the concussion issue is the elephant in the room.

[FrankNFHS]

Being the recipient of more than a few helmet on knee collisions, I don't want to think how much more painful it would have been without a knee pad to provide some cushion.  Especially when one considers how little natural padding the front of the knee has (as in none!).

Of course, it would have helped if I was oh maybe more than a few steps faster and able to turn the corner.  But then that's when I saw the light and new officiating rather than Div I was in my future!